Increasingly, modern satellites employ electric propulsion, making the reliability of this electric propulsion method paramount.
As shown in FIG. 1A, satellite electric propulsion systems are known that comprise four power supply units UAPE1, UAPE2, UAPE3 and UAPE4 and four electric thrusters ME1, ME2, ME3 and ME4 that are respectively linked to the power supply units. In this type of system, each connection between an electric thruster ME1, ME2, ME3 and ME4 and the corresponding power supply unit UAPE1, UAPE2, UAPE3 and UAPE4 is equipped with a conducted emissions filter F.
A conducted emissions filter is a filter that mainly comprises filtering components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, . . . ), the aim of which is to filter out the interference from the thruster to the corresponding power supply unit in order to protect the power supply unit and ultimately to limit the conducted and radiated emissions sent back towards the satellite.
In such a system, the loss, or malfunction, of one electric propulsion power supply unit then means the loss of one electric thruster, which will no longer be supplied with power by a power supply unit.
As disclosed in FIG. 1B, satellite electric propulsion systems are also known that comprise two power supply units UAPE1 and UAPE2 and four electric pthrusters ME1, ME2, ME3 and ME4. Each of the two power supply units UAPE1 and UAPE2 is respectively linked to two electric thrusters out of the four.
In this instance, the power supply unit UAPE1 is linked to the electric thrusters ME1 and ME2, and the power supply unit UAPE2 is linked to the electric thrusters ME3 and ME4. Each power supply unit UAPE1, UAPE2 is equipped with a respective switch COM1, COM2 allowing the power supply to be switched to one of the two thrusters to which it is linked.
In this instance, the switch COM1 of the power supply unit UAPE1 allows the electrical power supply from the power supply unit UAPE1 to be switched to the electric thruster ME1 or the electric thruster ME2, and the switch COM2 of the power supply unit UAPE2 allows the electrical power supply from the power supply unit UAPE2 to be switched to the electric thruster ME3 or the electric thruster ME4.
Each connection between an electric thruster ME1, ME2, ME3 and ME4 and its corresponding power supply unit UAPE1 and UAPE2 is equipped with a conducted emissions filter F.
In such a system, the loss, or malfunction, of one electric propulsion power supply unit then means the loss of two electric thrusters, which will then no longer be supplied with power by a power supply unit.